Thoughts on : Everless by Sara Holland

Posted by on March 6, 2018 6:00 pm in 4 stars reads | 2 comments

Everless by Sara Holland
Genre : Fantasy
Series : Everless, book 1

About the Book  :

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

My Thoughts :

Though I still enjoy reading it, I’ve been a bit more hesitant towards YA fantasy lately, mostly because I’ve felt as though I’ve been reading the same story over and over again. It’s not that different stories don’t exist, of course, but discovering them sometimes proves to be difficult.

So, I wasn’t planning on reading Everless, but reviews from favorite bloggers turned out to be more positive than I expected. After reading a few chapters of it in the bookstore, I decided to give it a chance – and I’m glad I did!

Like most other YA fantasy books, Everless has a beautiful cover and a really cool concept. Here time is used as a currency, taken directly from one’s blood when needed. This means one’s life is directly shortened or lengthened through transactions; of course, the royalty can afford to live (almost?) forever, while the poor live miserable short lives. I found it fascinating. Of course, in real life, we often consider whether things are worth our time or not, or feel guilty about the things we spend time on (I know I do when after spending half an hour scrolling through my Instagram feed!) Here the questions are the same, but the answers are matters of life or death. How much time of your life would you give up on in exchange for food or comfort? How much would you give to someone you love? To a stranger?

While the worldbuilding felt a bit rushed at the beginning, I really enjoyed discovering the world of Everless. The more we learn, the more interesting the story gets. I also loved the characters, from rich to poor and good to bad. I felt there was a great variety, and they were written in a way that made me unsure of who could be trusted or not. I’m usually quite good at pointing out the villains, but here I was surprised a few times!

Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was how little romance there was. It’s there, and I would say that Jules’ feelings do sometimes blind her or guide her decisions; but overall, it’s a very small part of the story. Jules is much more concerned by her father, her past, her own life, as she should be. I’m sure we will have a much more developed romance in the next book, but it’s quite refreshing to have a YA fantasy novel where the romance isn’t spontaneous and all-consuming.

The ending was great, too. There’s a bit of a snowball effect in the last few pages with all the revelations and secrets unveiled, and I really enjoyed that. It didn’t feel like a cliffhanger exactly, and more like it opened up the world with possibilities.

Everless might not have been the most original YA fantasy I’ve read, but something about it managed to charm me from the start. I’m really looking forward to the next book!

2 Comments

  1. I am so glad you enjoyed it! I thought this was refreshing in its creativity, and I too LOVED the fact that there was not a love triangle or obvious romance. I am so curious (and a bit anxious) to see how she continues the series!

  2. I absolutely love the cover of this. And I’m glad the romance is just a small part.

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